Obama to greet Pope Francis upon arrival in Washington

Pope Francis delivers his speech during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) )

KGO

Wednesday, September 09, 2015

WASHINGTON (KGO) --

President Barack Obama and the first lady Michelle Obama will welcome Pope Francis personally the moment he arrives in the U.S. for a historic visit.

The White House announced Tuesday that the Obamas will make the rare trip to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland when the pope touches down on Sept. 22 for his first-ever U.S. visit.

The pontiff is scheduled to arrive in Washington after stops in Cuba.

The pope will meet privately with the president, becoming just the third pope to ever visit the White House.

The pontiff will also stop in New York City and Philadelphia.

On Sept. 24, he heads to the Capitol to become the first pontiff to address a joint meeting of Congress.

ABC7 News' Ama Daetz will be heading to Washington DC, the first of three cities the pope will visit when he arrives in the U.S. Watch her reports that week and join us as ABC7 News follows Pope Francis' historic trip.